Did Motorola accidentally ‘leak’ the 2017 Moto Z at MWC?

MWC 2017 was full of new smartphone reveals including the launch of the new Motorola Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus. Motorola also took the opportunity during MWC 2017 to talk about and show off some forthcoming Moto Mods for their top of the line Z series of smartphones. Where LG flopped with modules, Motorola is still trying make it happen, but they clearly realize they need many more options on the market to keep consumers interested. In the course of hyping Moto Mods the company may have revealed their new 2017 flagship device.

One of the Moto Mods that Motorola was showing off at MWC 2017 is a game controller. During the presentation, Motorola put up a slide showing the box for the module which pictured a smartphone in the game controller. In reviewing the photo, viewers finally noticed that the home button and branding on the front of the device resemble the Moto G5 and not the 2016 version of the Moto Z. This matters as the modules are only compatible with the top tier Z series phones from Motorola, so the device pictured on the box is not a Moto G5 or Moto G5 Plus.

To add to the pot, a new image just surfaced via a poster on Weibo (since pulled) that purports to be a shot of the 2017 Moto Z. The leaked image appears to be consistent with the design cues present in the image shown at MWC 2017, notably the larger, rounder home button and the layout and locations of items like the front-facing camera lens.

The 2017 Moto Z is expected to be launched this summer, possibly in June.

Raised in North Carolina, Jeff Causey is a licensed CPA in North Carolina. Jeff's past Android devices include an HTC EVO, a Samsung Note II, an LG G3, and a Motorola Moto X Pure Edition along with a Samsung Galaxy Tablet 10.1. He currently uses a Samsung Galaxy S8 and (very rarely) a Nexus 7 (2013). He is also using a Verizon-branded Motorola Moto Z Play Droid supplied by his job. Jeff used to have a pair of Google Glass and a Moto 360 Sport in his stable of gadgets. Unfortunately, his kids have all drunk the Apple Kool-Aid and have i-devices. Life at home often includes demonstrations of the superiority of his Android based devices. In his free time, Jeff is active an active runner usually training for his next marathon, owns a MINI Cooper, and plays Dungeons & Dragons. Jeff has three mostly grown kids and a golden retriever.